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Bible Study: July 20, 2014

NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

This week's Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.

Bible Passage: Ezekiel 43:1-12

Discussion Questions: What keeps us from recognizing God's glory? What keeps us from seeing the power of God in our worship?

Food for Thought:

Michael Riley was watching a radar on the HMS Gloucester when a suspicious blip appeared. The blip was the same as an A-6 Intruder that was flying in the area, but there was something that told him this blip was different.

He gave the order to have that blip targeted. The blip turned out to be a Silkworm missile headed for the USS Missouri. After investigating how Riley knew the difference, it was discovered that the blip he saw did not appear until the third radar sweep; an A-6 typically appeared after the first radar sweep. Riley couldn't tell why that blip was different, but he had seen enough A-6 blips to know the difference.

Ezekiel tells of a vision in which he saw the glory of God. This was not his first time; God had made his presence known to Ezekiel at least two other times (see Ezekiel 8-11). In the earlier visions, Ezekiel had seen God coming to destroy the city, but in this vision he saw God coming to restore. The visions were different, but the glory he saw was the same. There was no doubt in Ezekiel's mind that he was seeing the same glory of God he had seen before. He immediately fell facedown to the ground in response (see Ezekiel 43:3).

Ezekiel was addressing a group of people who questioned God, wondering where He had gone. They had abandoned God and were turning to idols; as a result, they didn't know Him well enough to recognize Him. They were so far from God, they would not have recognized Him even if He had shown up in their tent. If they would turn from their idols, they would once again see God in His glory. The problem wasn't God, it was them.

When we wonder where God has gone, maybe it is us who have left Him and we are the ones who need to return. If we return, we will find that God is waiting to show us His glory afresh and anew.

Explore the Bible

Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible.

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.

Dwayne McCrary is the Project Team Leader for Adult and Young Adult Explore the Bible. You can follow him on twitter @gdwayne and Explore the Bible @explorethebible.

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